Cleveland Guardians vs Oakland Athletics Prediction, 3/31/2024 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cleveland Guardians vs Oakland Athletics

Date: Sunday, March 31, 2024

Location: Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA

TV: NBC Sports California

Oakland Coliseum is where the Oakland Athletics (50-112 last season) will try to beat the Cleveland Guardians (76-86 last year) on Sunday. The starting pitchers are Carlos Carrasco and Paul Blackburn.

As a squad, the Cleveland Guardians notched 4.1 runs per game, which put them at 27th in the league. They were sitting with 662 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .313. The Guardians accrued 294 two-baggers as a unit and smacked 124 balls out of the stadium. They had 622 runs batted in in addition to 1,379 base knocks in the prior season, and their team batting average was at .250. Cleveland had a slugging percentage of .381 and were called out on strikes 1,142 times, while being walked on 471 occasions.

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They earned a K/BB ratio of 2.46 and their pitching staff held a collective WHIP of 1.31. Guardians pitchers conceded 173 home runs and 697 total runs (8th in the league). Cleveland allowed 1,353 base knocks (8.4 per 9 innings) in addition to 640 earned runs. The Guardians finished with a team ERA of 3.99 for the prior year (10th in MLB), and the staff rung up 1,311 hitters. They walked 534 opposing players and their FIP came in at 4.21 as a unit for the previous season.

Guardians relief pitchers stepped onto the hill with players on base 137 times as well as having 190 contests in high leverage situations. The bullpen tallied 103 holds over the course of last season (3rd in the league). The Guardians relief pitchers recorded a save rate of 58.0% and entered the game in 189 save situations. They recorded 47 saves last season and missed out on 34 of their 81 save opportunities. The relievers inherited 196 base runners over the course of last season and 24.5% of them crossed the plate. The Guardians dispatched 545 relievers to the hill over the course of last year.

The Guardians turned 69.7% of balls hit into play into outs out of 12,996 innings, which had them sitting at 11th in MLB. The Cleveland Guardians finished with 4,332 putouts in the previous season, in addition to 1,418 assists and 82 errors. Their fielding rate was at .986 which had them sitting 15th in baseball, and they turned 119 double plays.

Carrasco has thrown 1,538 frames and has tallied 1,573 strikeouts during his career. His ERA is 4.04 (691 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.247. He has given up 1,500 base hits (8.8 hits per 9 innings) with 418 walks. Carrasco (107-93 win-loss mark in his career) has earned a FIP of 3.63 while he has faced 6,414 opposing batters in the majors.

The Oakland Athletics compiled an OBP of .298 and a team batting average of .223 over the course of the prior season. They were called out on strikes on 1,496 instances (6th in the league) and notched a total of 1,187 base knocks. Oakland compiled 171 home runs in the previous season and 563 runs batted in. The Athletics held a team slugging % of .370 and they scored 3.61 runs per outing (30th in MLB). They hit 225 doubles, while getting a free base 498 times and earning 585 runs.

The Oakland pitching staff relinquished 924 runs last year while holding an ERA of 5.49 (865 earned runs surrendered). They conceded 213 home runs and they yielded 5.86 runs per 9 innings (29th in the league). The Athletics finished with a team WHIP of 1.521 and had a FIP of 5.05 as a team last season. Their K/BB ratio was 8.20 (1,300 strikeouts vs 694 free passes). They were ranked 27th in baseball as a staff in total hits conceded with 1,464.

Oakland bullpen pitchers held an inherited score percentage of 39.7% out of their 282 inherited runners. Their bullpen pitchers came in 171 times in high leverage situations and also on 179 occasions with runners on. Wrapping up the year with 119 save situations, the Athletics accumulated 61 holds in addition to 26 blown saves. They were ranked 27th in the league holding a save percentage of 52.7%, and they sent 532 bullpen pitchers onto the field last year. Oakland had relief pitchers step onto the hill in 55 save opportunities and they earned 29 saves.

The Oakland Athletics turned 124 double plays and accounted for a fielding rate of .982 (29th in baseball). The Athletics racked up 1,269 assists, 102 errors and had a total of 4,259 putouts during the previous year. Out of their 12,777 innings on the diamond, the Athletics finished with a defensive efficiency of 67.8% (27th in pro baseball).

During his MLB career, Blackburn has surrendered 394 base knocks while tallying 270 K's in 353 frames. He has allowed 192 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.431 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.3. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.43 and he has faced 1,534 hitters so far in his career. Blackburn (17-24 win-loss mark in his career) has earned a 4.90 ERA while surrendering 10.0 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Cleveland

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